Mass Defect
by Silverswordmaster
Summary: A boy from the past gets a dying wish to live... in the future. How will he adapt and who will he run into? -This story has gotten some serious rewriting done and hopefully a new chapter. I recommend taking what you see at the moment with a grain of salt, the good stuff is coming through-
1. Prologue

Mass Defect  
>An Mass Effect FanFic by SILVER THE SWORD MASTER<br>C-C-COPYRIGHT W-W-W-WARNING: Mass Effect and all it entails is © Bioware and EA Games. Any other characters from series that may or may not be used are © their creators. I don't own any of it and I'm not writing this for money or payment. It's a story, and I don't feel like getting a lawsuit crammed up my ass because of it.  
>RATING WARNING! (x2 COMBO!): This Fan Fiction is rated M FOR MATURE. It'll deal with graphic violence, high drama, coarse language, sexual themes, drugs and alcohol, and other such things that are not meant for kids!<br>F-F-FINAL WARNING! (x3 COMBO!): This is a story. It happens to be the first story I've posted here on . I have no idea how good or well received it is going to be. But, if you liked it, please, speak up and let yourself be heard. If you disliked it, please, speak up louder and make sure I hear. I would like to know why.  
><em><strong>N-N-NEW NOTE!<strong>_- (x4 COMBO!) Not much editing has gone into the prolog, just updated some spelling errors and changed some wording. The big changes are coming in the upcoming chapters. For those of you who followed from the beginning and forgot that it was on your list, welcome back if you decided to read it again!

Alright! (C-C-COMBO BREAKER!) Enough with the warnings! Let's get this show on the road!

/C/O/M/B/O/S/Y/S/T/E/M/E/N/G/A/G/E/D/

\\CHAPTER PROLOGUE: The right place… wrong time?

Now, as I am sure you are quite aware, time travel is impossible.

That is to say, the act of traveling from the present to the past is impossible, and I'm not talking about jumping over a time-zone or flying around the world and crossing the International Date Line. I mean it in the sense of the fictional ability to skip yourself from 2010 to 1966 and back again, or perhaps to the opening day of STAR WARS to get to see it in theaters and…

What? I'm rambling?

… OH!

Quite right, my apologies, and forgive my manners, I forget to introduce myself. My name is Narrator, a pleasure to meet you all, I'm sure. I'm afraid we're off to a rather rocky start.

Getting back on our topic, time travel, specifically, the ability to travel to the past is quite, quite impossible.

What's that? What about traveling to the future?

Ahah. Caught that did you? Intelligent readers like you are, thank you for noticing! Traveling to the future, now that is much more possible… abet, not along the lines of thought I am sure you're thinking of!

Indeed, time travel in the form of simply finding the nearest wormhole or black hole and crossing the Event Horizon will not throw you into the future. Nay, it will just turn you into stringy human being.

Now… something more practical, say, being cryogenically frozen, or perhaps being knocked into a coma, or having your body preserved by a curse by falling into a spring of drowned young girl, or a demon locking your body in a permeate state of youngness before knocking you out and cryogenically freezing you and turning you female or something, could count as time travel to the future. After all, you're not going to know what happens until you arrive… right?

What do you mean none of those are practical?

… Well, I suppose you're right, but it's more practical then getting thrown through a wormhole, I assure you! Go read the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, the one with the big friendly glowing print reading "DON'T PANIC" on it, and check the entry on how quickly one would die without a space suit should one have the time to take a –full- breath before being tossed into the vacuum of space. Should be something about thirty-seconds, I believe.

Now then, I suppose you are wondering, 'Why is the Narrator just rambling like this?'

Ah, a sad truth it is. You see, this is the first story I've ever narrated, so I'm a might nervous, and I tend to ramble when I am. Also, it fills the pocket of time as we zoom in towards our destination.

Earth.

Now, on Earth, there is a boy. He's about eighteen-ish, with black hair that is cut short and left untouched in the mornings by anything but water and a towel, long eyelashes and thin eyebrows that are almost feminine at a glance, and large, round eyes the color of the clearest parts of the ocean on a bright, sunny day, that murky blue-green that gives it a nice glint when hit by the sunlight in –just- the right way.

Now, this boy doesn't have a name quite yet.

That's because he wasn't given one. The boy, who we shall call 'the boy' for now, is an orphan. He's quite open about the fact, and really, he doesn't care, for he has had a pretty decent go around for life at the moment. He grew up in a large town that became a small city and his family where the other orphans at the orphanage, went to school and graduated high school with a high GPA and a grin on his face, had three square meals a day and had a decent job at a music store by the orphanage, where he would practice the ocarina, mostly because it was from a game that he loved to play over and over again, I'm sure you know the one.

But that's neither here nor there.

For you see, the boy is about to die.

As he looks to the sky, his vision clouding and the world darkening around him, his face bruised, left arm shattered, the bone pointing out from his elbow, and his lower body burning with the pain of a gunshot wound, he contemplates the stupidity of people who didn't care enough to even end his misery over his wallet and the money that it contained.

"Well… could have been worse, I suppose." He muses, eyes clouding slightly as he looks up at the sun. "Could have broken –both- of my arms…"

He would have laughed at his own joke, if he could have moved to do so, as it was, he was bleeding quite a lot, and he was sure he would die within the next minute. In a final act of thought, he decided to make a wish. Not to pray, not to ask for forgiveness, or anything else, but to do a simple, personal, and selfish act for himself, just to see if it would work.

"I wish I don't die here… I wish I could survive into the future…"

Now, the boy was quite unaware that as he was lying there, someone was paying attention.

A Goddess was paying attention.

A soft smile graces her lips as she looks down upon him from the screen, observing his final moments and the wish that drifted from his dying breath. She normally didn't do such favors… but the wish was so vague, so… manipulable, changeable, exploitable even, that she couldn't resist herself. She wanted to know what would happen to him, how the boy would change if she gave him that chance of survival.

"Wish Granted…"

As the words whispered from her lips, the boy's body froze up, unmoving, blood stilled, heart stilled, mind stilled… but still alive as he faded from sight.

The Goddess's smile continues as she softly scrolls ahead. She has all the time in the world, and she was curious to watch this boy… to see how he would change the future, and how he would react to the citizens of the Galaxy and the new, daunting frontier that her creations, the creations of her Galaxy, would face.

Space, the final frontier. Fitting then, that the boy was a Trekkie. The Goddess giggled softly to herself as she watched, and waited.


	2. Chapter the first

Mass Defect  
>An Mass Effect FanFic by SILVER THE SWORD MASTER<br>C-C-COPYRIGHT W-W-W-WARNING: Mass Effect and all it entails is Bioware and EA Games. Any other characters from series that may or may not be used are their creators. A hint: YOU SHOULD KNOW THIS ALREADY.  
>RATING WARNING! (x2 COMBO!): This Fan Fiction is rated M FOR MATURE. It'll deal with graphic violence, high drama, coarse language, sexual themes, drugs and alcohol, and other such things that are not meant for kids!<br>F-F-FINAL WARNING! (x3 COMBO!): READ THE PROLOGUE FIRST. Seriously.  
><em><strong>N-N-NEW NOTE! <strong>_(x4 COMBO!): Don't mind me, just fixing things here and there. Don't worry about it too much if you're a new reader.

AUTHOR NOTES (C-C-C-COMBO BREAKER!): Wow, two reviews already? I'm… well, frankly I'm a bit shocked. I figured this was gonna be up a week, maybe two, before anyone even noticed it.  
>Nightwing (Can I call you Nightwing?)- I'm not a huge fan of SI's myself, and I'm trying to keep myself out of it as best as I can. Is that going to happen? No. (Write who you know!) But I'll try to keep it out of 'me' and more on The Boy. Thank you for my first review. –bows-<br>Rammer- Huh, dunno where you would get that from, but I'll keep my eyes open. And if you already want more, then it means the hook is –just- long enough. Don't want to rip up the fish, just want to get it on the hook, yeah?  
>EDIT IN: Wow! Five reviews already?! I wish I had more space to put in more thanks for the support and enthusiasm! But I don't want this part to get –too- long… so it's time to get this show on the road!<p>

Right, stop that. It's silly.

/C/O/M/B/O/S/Y/S/T/E/M/E/N/G/A/G/E/D/

\\CHAPTER 1: Waking Up

*THUPTHUD*, *THUPTHUD*

You know the feeling.

Waking up for the first time after a particularly long nap, your ears ringing with the sound of your own blood pumping through your body, your eyes are still closed, but the lights are shining through your eyelids.

"I don't want to get up for class…"

The thought came unburdened to his mind, echoing emptily as if there wasn't any other thoughts in there for a while as he softly tries to move, straining a bit to do something as simple as turn his head as he lets out a little groan at remembering what happened, an unidentified ache pounding on his side as he starts to remember. "Oh yeah… I was shot…"

This thought, as it sluggishly made it's way through his mind, was perhaps the cause of his suddenly movement, twitching as he tried to move, to open his eyes, do... well, just about anything. "I'm dead! I'm dead I'm dead I'm dead I'm deaaaaad!" The thought ran through his mind in the back of his head, panicking though the rest of his mind seemed to be treating it as 'oh, yeah, that happened.'

Now, this was a strange occurrence. How many people's first though upon waking up is, 'Oh yes, I was shot the other day', thought in the same way most people think, 'Hmmm, I think I had toast for breakfast the other day…'

"Dr. Michel, I think he's waking up. I can see his fingers twitching lightly."

His head echoed with the voice. It was dark, kind of… tinny, as if it was being filtered through his ears as he lets out another light groan, trying to get his unresponsive muscles to move.

A smoother, female voice filters through his slowly restarting mind. "He's alive then? Thank goodness. He lost so much blood. I didn't think anyone actually _used_ old fashioned weaponry anymore, but there it is… Garrus, please apply a small rub of medigel to his chest, would you? The sedative needs to flush from his system, and it looks like he's starting to panic."

"Of course doctor."

The boy wonders why the voice keeps on being distorted as he tries to figure out what's going on, his head pounding now as two fingers applied a cool, then warm substance to his skin, leaving it warm to the touch.

Soon, the ache holding his body down softly starts to clear, his eye lids still feeling heavy as the warmth from the medigel starts to spread across his whole body.

Now, as I'm sure you've gathered by now, three things are about to happen.

First, the boy is going to open his eyes.

Second, the boy is going to take stock of his surroundings.

Third, Hilarity will ensue.

Hmm? Oh! Hi again! Yeah, sorry, I was in the bathroom and… wait, what? Back to the story? Well, alright, if you insist. But seriously, Hilarity. Just wait.

"Ow…" He groans as he starts to sit up, one hand reaching to his head before his other hand goes to his side, wincing at a pain that he thinks should be there… but isn't?! Now shit was getting -real-. "What in the world…?" He says, his eyes snapping open in surprise as he looks down to his bare torso, looking surprised at the smooth, perfect skin. "No scar…?"

"It wasn't a massive wound, though one I don't think has been seen on the Citadel before… In fact, this is the first time I've encountered a bullet wound like this, especially where the projectile actually stayed in the body." The voice was actually rather soothing, he thought as he softly shook his head from side to side, trying to clear it.

"Take it easy, you don't want to aggravate your body too much, or you'll relapse into shock." The strong, tinny voice that had to be a guy echoed back again as he looks around, and immediately recoils with a yelp of shock and surprise.

"What? What is it?" The creature with the tinny voice asks, looking at him with a… glint of worry in his eye? Maybe? The boy looks at the creature with shock, adrenalin surging through his veins and trying to get him to run, the sedatives in his body the only thing keeping him from bolting as he looks at the creature with eyes wide open.

"Doc, you sure he's ok? He's acting like he's never seen a Turian before." The creature says, looking to what the boy realized was a human woman wearing a… really weird uniform, if she really was human. "He's in a state of shock Garrus. He got shot, and not too long ago. A sudden shock as seeing a Turain, especially if he's from an outer colony or Earth, that don't see too many Turains pass through, could cause him to have momentary relapses."

"Alright. I'll let you deal with him. Once he's calmed down, call me back in, I'll need to question him before he goes." The… Turain, said as he walked out of the door, the boy's eyes locked on the retreating figure the whole time, looking to the doctor in confusion.

"Don't worry, that's just Garrus. He's a C-SEC officer, one of the best." The doctor says, smiling at him as she softly takes his wrist, checking his pulse the old fashion way. "Take calm, deep breaths. He's not going to hurt you. Can you tell me your name?"

"WHAT IS HE?!" The boy cries out, looking around in shock. "For that matter, where am I? This doesn't look like any doctor's office I've ever seen…" He says, his voice border lining on true panic as he looks wildly around the room. The smooth, shiny machinery and glowing holographic panels boggled the mind, and he was sure that he was going insane as the doctor frowned and tapped her bracelet, holding it up to him as an orange, glowing semi-transparent sleeve formed around it, showing all sorts of numbers and statistics on it.

"Hmmm, you're running a minor fever, not even getting into your other injuries, so that would account for the shock. Take a deep breath, try to calm down. You're on The Citadel, in the Serpentine Nebula, in the Wards below the Presidium, just next to C-SEC's main branch. I'm Doctor Chloe Michel, I run the Clinic here." Dr. Michel says, smiling at the boy as she examines what he's wearing in an attempt to figure out what's going on and why he's panicking.

The boy is in good health, maybe not major athletic health, but someone who works out once in a while, a little wiry, and possibly a bit underfed. He stands about five-eleven, give or take a few centimeters, and his muscle is developed and toned under the bandages that she had wrapped for his bruised ribs. Unusually, he appeared to be wearing baggy black jeans, a pair from the Lee clothing company on Earth, but they didn't make jeans anymore. At least, not with the materials that his jeans were made with… she ponders that point as her eyes slide over to his blood soaked shirts. A white and black pattered button-up that he was wearing opened, with a black-tee shirt underneath. As with the jeans, they were human-made clothing, but far out of period, apparently from the late 20th century or the early 21st century. The materials that were used to make them were so far out of date it was almost comical, as if someone made reproduction pieces for a museum. Oddly, it appeared that someone had ripped his shoes off of his feet, as he was wearing only a pair of soft cotton socks that were mostly pulled off.

The look of light panic washes over the boy's face as he takes a sharp intake of breath. "W-where… did you say I was, again? Are you sure… this… isn't Earth? I've never even heard of this Citadel before!" He says, looking around. "C-come on, this is just a prank show, right? RIGHT?"

Now, as I am sure you have surmised, the boy had just violated one of the most important rules of adventuring. And I don't mean knowing where your towel and your frying-pan are. No, he violated a much more grievous rule. 'Don't Panic'.

It seems to be such a simple command, at first glance. Just keep on your toes, keep your eyes open, your head up, take a calm breath and stride into the fire with your head held high and your wits about you.

But, such a rule doesn't quite apply when you're in shock, so I suppose we can forgive the boy for his panic… though Dr. Michel is about to put some sense into him… or perhaps another shock.

"Earth? No, we're several million light-years away from Earth…" She says, looking a bit confused as she looks at him.

"… Million light-years?" The boy repeats, looking very lost now as the panic gives away to shock again, causing him to lie back down.

"Yes, of course. By Mass Relay." Dr. Michel isn't stupid. Far from it. But at the moment, she's grasping pretty tightly to the idiot ball, no?

"D… doc? W… what year… what year is it?" The boy asks as he turns to look at Dr. Michel, his voice barely a strained whisper as looks at the woman who patched him up with the glowing orange holographic display on her arm.

"2183 Common Era." Dr. Michel replies. "Or, rather, just twenty-one… eighty… are you alright?" She says, looking at the boy as he closes his eyes, shaking his head a bit, trembling almost.

"No… nononononono _**NO**_! That _CAN'T_ be right! That isn't physically _POSSIBLE_." The boy yells out, slamming his fists down against the table. "My name is Eric Midore, and there is no _**FUCKING**_ way in hell that I'm in 2183!"

The boy jolts up, looking at Dr. Michel with wild eyes. "I was born somewhere in 1990! I just turned sixteen, it was 2000 last I checked! Are you trying to tell me that I'm suddenly a hundred and nighty nine years old or… some… thing….?"

It was at this point that the boy, the newly name-stated Eric Midore, collapsed, eyes wide in surprise at the needle in his neck. "Mr. Midore, you need to calm down!" Dr. Michel says, looking a bit panicked. "You've been in a terrible accident, and you're panicking, and possibly hallucinating. Take deep breaths. The sedative will help you relax and put you into dreamless sleep for about thirty minutes…"

And the world fell away as the world vanished into blackness once again for Eric Midore.

Fading into unconsciousness is quite the pleasant thing, really. It's simple, you just close your eyes, let your mind go blank, and let go. Perfect rest, no thoughts, no worries, and no problems, just some time for your body to rest and recover.

Unfortunately for Mr. Midore, Eric, as we'll call him, he wasn't going to have such a peaceful experience. His body would rest, but he had more important things to do.

Like a meeting with a Goddess.

"Hello Eric."

Eric whirled, looking around slightly panicked at the cloudy, misty gray fog that surrounded him, his mind running in many directions at once. "Hello?" he calls out, his voice echoing around through the fog.

"Do not be alarmed."

Eric snorts, trying to put up a brave front, as officially his day has been shot to hell. In more ways in one, considering that 183 years ago he had been lying in a back ally with a hole in his gut and multiple wounds that seemed to have been healed by magic. "Alarmed?! ALARMED? Lady, I don't know who you are, but I'm a little bit more then _ALARMED_ right now!" Eric says, the panic he's feeling quite evident in his voice as he looks around for the person talking to him as the fog starts to swirl around him, softly pulling towards a single singularity.

"You are not going to come to harm, Eric. Peace, and calm, and I will speak to you of what you are about to experience."

Eric frowns at these words, puzzling over the meaning of them as the fog starts to clear, all of it pulling in on that single point.

Now, Gods and Goddesses are quite fickle. They have a tendency to mess with the lives of mortals, using them as the universes chew toys. But what few realize is that these Goddesses are quite aware of their own nature, and try to use it to their advantage as much as possible. For example, a Goddess of strife and chaos will use her own nature of chaos to her advantage, never planning, always acting on instinct, as the most chaotic thing that could happen, would.

As the fog thickens and forms into a woman, Eric can only look on in awe as he views a Goddess for the first time in his mortal life, causing quite the shock. It's about this time that he is starting to wish that he had that blasted towel and frying pan with him, considering all the crazy things he was seeing today.

But alas, you can't bring such items with you during time travel. Nor into your mind unless you know how. So Eric is left standing there, his jaw hanging as he watches the fog smooth out to skin, hair, eyes, and a long, flowing dress of light silver, emblazoned with gold and a crest of a single, golden triangle. The Goddess is beauty beyond words, her eyes, ever shifting, seemingly holding the wisdom of entire worlds and civilizations.

A soft, light smile graces her lips as she looks at Eric. "I am Nayru… the Goddess of Wisdom."

Now, Nayru, the Goddess of Wisdom, is quite well known for her blessings of science, wizardry, and of course, bringing order to nature. What isn't quite so well-known is that this order-bringing brought order to Time itself, creating the laws of time. As such, she has a secondary title. The Goddess of Time.

Many heroes have been assisted through her wisdom and grace, a series of legacy warriors deemed with the title, 'Hero of Time'. But those heroes are of another world, another relm, very unlike this one, and while Eric knows of them, aren't really relevant to this story.

"Eric, you have been brought here by me, by your dying wish." Nayru says, the soft smile still on her face as she observes the young man in front of her. He's not panicking, as much, but he still looks rather skeptical.

"My dying… wish… But wait, you mean… you brought me into the future?" Eric asks, his eye locking onto hers in surprise and awe.

"I did. That was your wish, 'To live, to survive in the future.'" Nayru says, chuckling softly. "As the Goddess of Wisdom and Time, I locked your body and preserved it to arrive exactly where you did." Nayru explains, smiling the entire time.

"'Locked' my body?" Eric says, frowning a bit now, confused.

"Yes, brought it in between time and physical space. There, there is no time, no motion, no life, and no death. You were locked there, forever undying or living, no thought… nothing. It was this state that allowed you to come here… now." Nayru says softly.

"That's-"

"Impossible? And yet, here we are, and here you are." Nayru cuts Eric off.

"… OK, fine. So I believe you that I'm in the future, let's assume." Eric groans, softly grinding his teeth as he looks at Nayru, "So what the _fuck_ does that mean for me? What the hell am I supposed to do from here?"

"You live." Nayru says. "Accept the goodwill of the Doctor and the Turian. 'Accept' that you are a man with no memories but a few 'planted' memories of a world long gone. They'll take it from there."

Eric glares at the Goddess half-heartedly as he deadpans, "Oh yeah, I'm am SO sure that'll work, brilliant ide... wait a minute, you planted my name in my head!" He accuses.

Nayru smirks at him, completely ignoring his accusation. "Of course it'll work. I'm the Goddess of Wisdom, remember? Here."

Nayru steps closer, and softly tugs Eric's hand forwards. He winces in pain as a bright flash of light blinds him a moment, and a sight burning feeling digs into his right hand. "OW!" He cries out in surprise as Nayru lets his hand go and steps back, leaving him to examine it.

The mark of a Goddess is often called simply 'The blessing'. Depending on the Goddess (or God, I suppose, though God's don't give The Blessing as often and theirs is often bigger than just a marking…) the mark can be anything from a birthmark, an intricate tattoo, maybe a particular hair color or eye color.

This one is quite well known. A single triangle, displaced to the lower-right part of Eric's right hand, which looks like it would be part of two others. "This is the blessing of wisdom. Normally, it would have two counterparts. But that particular destiny isn't involved in this world…" Nayru giggles. "With my blessing, you'll learn and pick up skills at an incredible pace. Be warned, knowing what to do, and actually being able to do it are two different things, Eric."

Eric frowns softly, and then blinks at the sudden tugging on his pocket as his sweet potato ocarina is suddenly pulled from his pocket. "Hey!"

Nayru smiles as she softly takes the ocarina. "You aren't going to need this. Consider it fair trade, a gift for another."

Suddenly, the world starts to shift around Eric as he attempts to move closer to Nayru. "What!?"

"You are awaking. Good luck, Eric Midore. You have much to learn, and a whole new life to live ahead of you… "

The world flashed brightly, and Nayru vanishes as Eric Midore awakens to face his new life.


	3. Chapter the second

Mass Defect  
>An Mass Effect FanFic by SILVER THE SWORD MASTER<br>C-C-COPYRIGHT W-W-W-WARNING: Mass Effect and all it entails are **COPYRIGHT** Bioware and EA Games. Any other characters from series that may or may not be used are **COPYRIGHT** their creators. A hint: YOU SHOULD KNOW THIS ALREADY.  
>RATING WARNING! (X2 COMBO!): This Fan Fiction is rated M FOR MATURE. It'll deal with graphic violence, high drama, coarse language, sexual themes, drugs and alcohol, and other such things that are not meant for kids!<br>F-F-FINAL WARNING! (X3 COMBO!): READ THE PROLOG FIRST. Seriously.  
><strong>N-N-NEW NOTE! (X4 COMBO!):<strong> Again, a bit of rewriting here and there, but nothing particularly major done. I like the changes, and I think you will too.

Author Notes (C-C-COMBO BREAKER): Ok, fair warning, I did mention before that I'm kinda playing fast and hard with my writing style and the story, so I should point out that this is definitely an AU fic. There are going to be parallels to the Canon Mass Effect that we all know and love, but I am changing a few things here, adding some things there, such as how C-Sec training works and a little program. And if you got a complaint, hold it right there, because I got an answer for it before you let one damn word escape your lips:  
>The Goddess did it. Now shut the FUCK up and read. (I probably wouldn't actually say the 'fuck' part, but I think it emphasizes my point pretty well. So please, kick back and enjoy!)<br>Gonna try to make this a long one…

/C/O/M/B/O/S/Y/S/T/E/M/E/N/G/A/G/E/D/

\\CHAPTER 2: Intro the universe

"Doc, he's waking up again…"

The weary, cautious voice of Garrus Vakarian, C-Sec officer and sniper, slowly starts to filter into Eric's ears as he slowly starts to blink his eyes open, now understanding that he's been shot up with another sedative and was just starting to shake off the effects… without the benefit of that warm, soothing balm that had been rubbed on his chest that cleared it out last time.

"Mng… did someone catch the number of that steamroller?" Eric groans softly, a wry smirk lightly spreading as he winces, slowly sitting up.

"That's a new one for relating shock." Dr. Michel muses, looking over what looked to Eric like a tablet of some kind. "Or perhaps an older one. Are you alright, Mr. Midore? You gave us quite a shock when you started off like that…"

Now, such a question as that is a difficult one to answer honestly when you're a time traveler, as answering it honestly usually ends up with said time traveler being put in a room coated in padding and rubber and being taken care of by the happy men in the white scrubs.

Eric's mind raced for an answer, trying to think of something to use as an excuse for his odd and irrational behavior… well, irrational by their standards, if what Nayru told him was true… which, considering she was the Goddess of Wisdom, it probably was.

"I… am not." Eric finally settles on an answer, looking down a bit. "I… can't remember much, and I've got a hell of a headache… I think I _vaguely_ remember something… about a production, a reenactment…" _'Yeah, let's go with that,'_ he thinks before continuing, "W-we had a stunt gun to go through with a 'shooting' scene and…"

Eric shakes his head softly. "I… I… I can't remember…"

Now, this was a massive crock of bullshit, as I'm sure we're all quite aware, but it sounded solid enough, and Dr. Michel and Garrus knew of several different roaming bands of performers that enjoyed preforming reenactments from various parts of history of the races. More recently, human history had been rather popular.

However, said bands of performers were… well, comparable to Old Terra Carnies. A little deplorable, many criminals… and many willing to settle grudges the lethal way.

Garrus shakes his head. "That explains the old-fashion weapon damage." He says. "Mr. Midore…"

"Please, just call me Eric… 'Midore' isn't even my last name anyway… at least… I'm pretty sure it isn't…" Eric says, frowning now as he looks like he's trying to remember something. He actually is pleasantly surprised with himself at how well he's pulling the act, keeping his face scrunched a bit as he looks up and too the right, the classic view of someone trying really hard to remember something.

"Midore isn't your last name?" Garrus asks, looking intrigued.

"No, I'm an orphan." Eric says, shrugging, scrambling to come up with a plausible sounding excuse when he remembers something he saw on TV one time. "I wouldn't be allowed to travel or act in the group without an ID and… well… I'm underage. So I got a fake and when I had to come up with a name, I went with Midore. I read it in a book once…"

Eric frowns. "At least, I… think I did."

Dr. Michel checks her datapad, as Eric decides to think of it as, before switching to the glowing-arm-holograph thingy and hitting a few of the floating panels before running it by Eric. "Mmmm… there are definitely some signs of minor memory loss, probably from the concussion of hitting the ground. What's the most recent date you can remember, Eric?"

Eric's frown deepens as he concentrates, and sighs, shaking his head. "Today, but in the year 2000."

Garrus sighs. "Whatever memory he must have lost must have been less embedded memories. You know, recent stuff, dates around here… I'm sure he's got his part for the reenactment memorized by heart…" The Turian says, looking… pensive, kinda. Eric isn't sure how to read the alien, the metallic plating and mandibles making the Turian all that more alien to Eric.

"I… can barely even remember that." Eric says, shaking his head sadly. "All I can remember is that my name is Eric Midore, though it's not my real last name, I'm sixteen, and that I was 'Born in 1984…', though I realize now that it's just a crock of bull…"

Being able to lie like a dog and make it work is a _very_ valuable skill to have in any profession or lifestyle. Doubly so if you happen to be a time traveler who had no idea about the universe you've arrived in or how life works in this century. As such, Eric currently has the advantage of the blessing given to him by a Wisdom Goddess, that little mark on his hand glowing slightly, not that anyone would notice that.

Garrus crosses his arms, evaluating what Eric says. "Maybe, but at least you got a name and your age."

"Garrus, could you take him in to C-Sec?" Dr. Michel says, looking to the Turian with a soft nod. "Maybe they'll be figure out what to do with him… set him up with a real identity at least, get him registered and the like. No reasons to just leave him running around with a case of amnesia like this, and besides, I recall that C-Sec was looking for new recruits for officer training. He may be… an 'inspired' choice, but if not, he'll have schooling and a job."

Garrus lets out a little groan, resisting the urge to do a very human gesture he's seen repeated several times and bury his face in one of his hand's palms. "Dr. Michel, that program is meant for the sons and daughters of C-Sec officers once the reach 'of age' and don't want to return to their respective military for training." Garrus says, frowning as only a Turians can as he explains the program and what entails. Training, Duty, How to use a weapon, Galactic History, Cultural History for all species, Advanced Omni-Tool use… things that a C-Sec officer should know.

"… but even then, it's again, only open to C-Sec officers children, and only a hypothetical at the moment." Garrus finishes, looking slightly aggravated as he crosses his arms again, looking at Eric and Dr. Michel.

"What about adopted children?"

That stopped Garrus cold, causing him to look at Dr. Michel in shock. "Ado… Dr. Michel, what are you suggesting?"

Dr. Michel smiles knowingly at Garrus. "You know exactly what I'm talking about. You said yourself the other day that you wish that you had a rookie officer to take under your wing. Well, why not Eric? He's a literal blank-slate right now. Anything you teach him is new information, minus any muscle memory. Train him and teach him, and kill two birds with one stone, so to speak."

Eric blinks. "Um… not to be a downer or anything, but what in the world is C-Sec, and err… well… what _are_ you Garrus?"

Garrus and Dr. Michel turn to Eric in surprise, realizing that they had entirely forgotten to include the person they were talking about in the conversation. It happens, but it's none the less annoying to people who pride themselves on attention to detail, doctors and officers of the law alike.

Now, it is at this point that you would be amused to note that the Goddess is watching _quite_ carefully, interested to see how this one, single change would effect this timeline as compared to the multitude of other branches that she had eyed down. Most of them ended with Eric's death in some form or another, but where was the fun in that?

"… I guess we should start there, at least." Garrus says grudgingly. "I'm a Turian, one of the Council Races."

"Ok, great. What the heck is the Council Races and what is a Turian beyond you?"

In case you haven't guessed, Eric's wit and snarky attitude has existed before now. He's rather proficient at it, it appears.

Garrus lets out a sighing breath. "The Council is the Government of a large area of space that encompasses a wide verity of species. Don't ask me to recite them all, because I don't know that many planets and nebulas off the top of my head. There are eight 'Council' races, or races that follow the laws the Council passes and agrees to listen to their authority to trade and act in unity. My race, the Turians, the Asari, and the Salarians are the three 'core' races, and hold the three seats of the Council, and make the final calls for political, law, and some military decisions for Citadel Space, which is the name of the area that Council races inhabit and Citadel Law applies to."

Eric frowns and turns his head a bit. "Only three races run the whole show? What about the other five?"

"Good question, I was just getting to that." Garrus says, looking approving of the sensible question from Eric. "The Volus, Elcor, Hanar, and Drell followed soon after, and have some say in the political part of Citadel Space, and more recently came the Humans, or rather, your space-time government known as the Systems Alliance, that also gets some say in galactic affairs."

Eric nods at the information. "Well, nice to know the names, but what am I supposed to know about each one?"

Garrus frowns slightly. "It would be best if I could show you each one and explain what I know, but at the moment, it probably would be best if you just stuck with me while I get you set up as a citizen and…"

Garrus blinks as he realized that Dr. Michel was smiling at him from where she had slid away. He had been lecturing to Eric and she apparently took it as a sign that Garrus had it all under control, and he couldn't really count on her to back him up at the moment.

Garrus crosses his arms, pondering that, his brow, such as it was, furrowed in thought as Eric speaks up again. "Ok, I understand that I got a lot to learn apparently. Where am I supposed to go to school or do from here… err… Mr.….?"

The boy was looking at him pretty solidly, looking a little hopeful that the Turian could help him, which made Garrus's expression soften a bit.

"I… damn it." Garrus mutters, shaking his head a bit. "Please, no 'Misters', just call me Garrus. Can you walk, Eric?"

Eric softly pushes up and finds himself on surprisingly sturdy feet. He nods. "Yes."

"Good. Come on, we'd better go visit C-Sec so I can deliver my report, and then we'll need to visit the Human Embassy… the Alliance will want to hear about you." Garrus says, nodding to Dr. Michel before turning towards the door, looking a little troubled, not that anyone but a Turian would be able to tell anyway.

/L/I/N/E/C/U/T/

"H-HOOOOLY SHIT!" Eric says in shock, his jaw dropped as he steps out of the med clinic, getting his first view of The Citadel and the Serpentine Nebula. Perfecting timing too, as at that moment the awe-inspiring view of the Destiny Ascension drifts into view, Eric's head tracking it as it moves across the view port.

"The Destiny Ascension, flagship of the Citadel fleet." Garrus says. "It's massive and rather impressive, but you aren't going to understand the importance of the details just yet so I suggest we move on."

Garrus watches Eric, amused at the human's reactions as he looks around in awe, and slight shock. He really was missing most of his memories if he couldn't remember any of this.

"Jeez… we really are in space." Eric says, letting a low whistle slide out as he looks out the window. "What in the world is the city-scape down there?"

"Those are the Wards. Like this one." Garrus says. "Each one is akin to a small town or a big city, or a small city, depending on where you go. Come on, keep walking."

Eric shakes his head again as he lets Garrus lead him away, heading down a flight of stairs just by the Med Clinic. As they reach the bottom, another human calls out to Garrus, dressed in a blue uniform with a similar visor on his head. "Garrus, hey, good timing. Pallin is looking for you, said he was still waiting for the report of the kid who had the unusual projectile wound."

Garrus nods. "I figured he would." Garrus muses. "Thanks Eddie."

Eddie then notices Eric, who is wearing a new black tee-shirt that Dr. Michel supplied for him on the way out, and his jeans, which got a very small amount of blood on them, thankfully. "Hey, Garrus, is this the kid who got shot?" Eddie asks, looking at Eric curiously.

"He's the one, yeah." Garrus confirms. "It was a simple patch job for his gut. Arm was broken pretty badly, but nothing some medigel couldn't solve. Whoever was trying to kill him did it as thoroughly as possible, clubbed him across the head or hit him with enough shock that he's lost a lot of his memory. All he remembers is a fake last name, his first name, he's orphaned, and he's sixteen."

"Damn." Eddie says, looking a little stunned before looking to Eric again. "Nice to meet you kid, I'm Officer Lang, Eddie Lang. If you ever need anything, you let me know, ok?"

Eric nods, feeling a little better talking to the friendly C-Sec officer and a human at that. "Nice to meet you Officer Lang, sir. I'm Eric… err… well; at least that's what I remember."

Eddie smiles and softly shakes his head. "It's fine Eric. Please, just call me Eddie. Only need to call me Officer Lang if you're reporting a crime or asking for something that requires C-Sec assistance, ok?"

"Ok, Eddie." Eric says, smiling a little, looking much more relaxed. At least it seemed that even out in space the police were still friendly and open as long as you followed the law.

Garrus nods to Eddie. "That reminds me, did you know if Pallin had decided on the idea of that training program?"

Eddie blinks, looking thoughtful as he rubs his chin. "Mmmm… actually, yeah." He says, nodding a bit. "He wanted to go through with it, but they still need a volunteer. A real fresh start, so to speak. The problem is that Pallin wants it to be a human, but well…" Eddie says his voice kind of drifting off at the end of his sentence.

Garrus sighs. "None of the other officers wanted to get involved still?" Garrus says with slightly disappointed tone. His superior's pet project had been kicked around the C-sec offices quite a bit at this point, and really should have been moving forwards by now. It might have been a human idea, but the idea of a 'police acadamy' that would supply training and schooling for young men and women to make new C-sec officers out of members of the galaxy that hadn't had the opportunity to get the schooling or training required was rather fascinating to the Turian, and many others members of C-sec, even if the military background that every Truian received made the program rather ineffective for them.

"No, not particularly. None of the other human officers have much family around this ward and the Presidium." Eddie says. "I mean, they do, but no teens that want to get involved, and Pallin is dead set on having a volunteer."

Garrus shakes his head. "That's what I was afraid of." Garrus mutters. "And they need to be family, right?"

"That's the rule as far as I know. Remember this is kind of a test run project." Eddie says, shrugging, blinking at Garrus as his mandible's flare lightly as if he's contemplating a new idea "Something up? You look like you got your thinking cap on."

"No, nothing in particular. Thanks Eddie." Garrus says with a nod as he motions for Eric to follow him, Eddie smiling at Garrus and giving him a jaunty little wave. "Alright, see you around Garrus. Nice to meet you Eric."

Eric, who has been spending most of his time looking around in awe and was observing a keeper that was walking into the area, blinks as he notices Garrus's gesture and falls into step, smiling at Eddie was he walks by, walking slightly back and to the side of the Turian towards the elevator. "Nice to meet you too Eddie, talk to you later." The time-lost human grinning as they step into the elevator.

/L/I/N/E/C/U/T/

"That is probably the most boring thing I've ever ridden on…" Eric mutters. "Why in the world are the elevators so slow?"

"If we knew that perhaps we would be a step closer to having peace on the Citadel." Garrus says. "Less people venting their frustrations from the elevators on each other could only be a good thing."

Eric nods thoughtfully at that, even though he didn't quite get it as Garrus walks ahead of him, turning left and heading for a flight of stairs. "Come on. We're going to meet with The Executor. You'll need to meet him anyway, but this will be a good way to make my report and formally introduce you to him."

Garrus moves to a slight jog up the stairs, listening for how Eric handles the pace up the many stairs. It's quite the work out for a civilian, or someone who isn't used to climbing so many of them quickly as he leads Eric up the stairs and to another lift. "This lift goes to the Presidium, where Executor Pallin's office is."

Eric looks a bit confused at that, taking some light breaths to catch himself after the jog up the many stairs so Garrus explains, "His office is next to the embassies. The reason is so that he can quickly respond to anything going on in the Presidium, leaving the Wards to the more proficient officers as the rookies work the Presidium to get a feel for being a C-Sec officer."

As if a light bulb flashes in Eric's head, his hand slaps into his palm. "OH! Like a police officer!" He says, smiling brightly as if he had just remembered that. Garrus nods. "From what Lang told me about them, yes, Earth's 'police' are very similar to C-Sec officers, though we're structured differently."

Eric frowns. "I wouldn't know… I just know what police officers are." Eric says with a soft shrug, and mutters when Garrus turns back to hit the switch on the lift to take them to the Presidium, "And some of them were not good."

Garrus's mandible's flare lightly as he overhears Eric's muttering. Perhaps that was connected to him getting shot? A few moments of thought pass as his mandible's settle and he decides it'd be best to ask him about it later.

/L/I/N/E/C/U/T/

The Presidium, as far as Eric could tell, was very posh.

Very high class.

And very, very boring.

He felt uncomfortable up here, but he couldn't lay his finger on why. The artificial lakes were huge and beautiful. He contemplated the thought of asking Garrus to go fishing in the lake, but decided to skip it as he looked up at the 'sky'. A massive Vid-screen showing a blue, sunny sky day with some spattering of clouds… it reminded him of the day he got shot, sort of. The sky was the same, but the location was definitively not Kansas anymore.

"Come on, keep moving. Sightseeing can wait Eric; you're going to have plenty of time to see it all." Garrus calls out, Eric turns his head and reluctantly keeps walking, all of these amazing things continually flooding his senses as he follows behind Garrus.

"Soooooo… what's the plan here Garrus?" Eric asks, tilting his head a bit as he follows behind Garrus on the way to the Emissaries.

Garrus looks over his shoulder at Eric. "Well, first things first we're going to report to my superior, and inform him of what's going on and that you're alright, and no, we haven't found who did this to you. Second, we're going to try to enroll you in a special program for training."

Eric blinks. "What? You were serious about that?" He asks, his eyes going wide in surprise. _"I can't believe he was actually being serious about that… I guess that's a good thing though." _Eric thinks on that as he glances at his right hand, looking at the triangular 'birth mark' and thinking about what Nayru told him.

Garrus chuckles softly. "Indeed I was. Dr. Michel is many things, stupid or naïve are things she isn't. She is right, it's a good way to get you to being an active member of society, as well as placing you in a good position in case your memories return and you know people you can talk to about it."

"Also, I was serious when I mentioned that I've been considering training another officer. If you're given the opportunity, you take the shot." Garrus says with a nod. Eric frowns lightly as he looks at the Turian. "But doesn't that mean I'll have to be adopted?"

Garrus nods, "By a C-sec officer, but I'm sure we'll figure out what to do soon enough. Besides, it's a good job, and frankly, your amnesia might start to fade and you could start to remember things, even if you won't remember everything. Better to do so in a controlled environment then just putting you on a ship back to Earth with no one you know and no family. We'll... what's the expression? Jump that hurdle when we come to it?"

Eric thinks over that quietly as he trails behind Garrus, walking into a sheltered area that must be the emissary, blinking in surprise at the glowing blue figure standing on a small platform as he follows Garrus up another flight of stairs and through three doors, only to find himself facing yet another Turian.

"Garrus." Executor Pallin says, looking at the Turian that Eric has been walking with a nod.

"Executor Pallin." Garrus responds in greeting. "Sir, allow me to introduce Eric. He's the boy who was shot."

Eric gulps softly as a very level, hard glare is turned his way. "Is that so?" Pallin says. "Hmmm… he looks ok. What did your investigation bring up? Anything about him?"

Garrus shakes his head. "Whoever shot him took their time, and they're probably long gone by now." Garrus says. "As such, we're lucky we got to him when we did. Much longer and he would have bled out, he left quite the mess behind."

Pallin sighs. "Understandable. What of the boy?"

Garrus looks over to Erik and motions for him to step forward so Pallin could get a better look. "He's got acute amnesia. He's remembering little bits and pieces, but Dr. Michel at the clinic is fairly positive that he'll never regain his full memory. All he remembers is his name is Eric; he had a fake last name, no parents, and is sixteen years old."

Eric nods. "And I know what police officers are… but that's just kind of a side thing." Eric says.

Pallin looks a bit bewildered at that side comment from Eric, but shakes his head and continues, his mandibles flaring softly. "That's unfortunate. And you didn't find a solid ID or a make a match on the databases?"

Garrus shakes his head. "Like I said, he's an orphan, and was possibly part of a roving band of reenactment performers of human 20th to 21st Century history. As such, he was able to sputter something about the date 2000, and something about his getting shot. I'm guessing it was part of the show."

Pallin does not look pleased at that report as Eric shifts uncomfortably, keeping quiet and off to the side. "Great. So an unregistered, unknown sixteen year old human gets shot, no one to pick him up, and we're not even sure what to do with him. We don't exactly have anywhere to take him, and I doubt the Human Emissary has anything special they could do for him."

"My thoughts exactly, which is why I came up with an idea." Garrus says, nodding to Eric. "You still want to run that project, right? The one training the 'sons and daughters of current C-Sec officers to be Officers?'"

"Yes, I... Garrus, that's some dangerous territory you're walking towards right now." Pallin says, looking a little shocked as he realizes what Garrus is talking about. "We don't even know who he is and you're suggesting that?! Not to forget that he isn't a son of a C-Sec officer, he's just a kid. Worse, he doesn't have _ANY _training, formal or otherwise!"

Garrus looks nonplussed, by Eric's guess, and continues on in a smooth, calm tone of voice. "You said you wanted to try it with a human child. He's sixteen, that's the age that we enlist in the military, Pallin, you and I know that. Come on; give the boy a shot… I'll adopt him myself and train him myself. It's the perfect test run for your project and you know it."

The standing Turian crosses his arms behind his back, "Part of the idea is that it takes civilians who have no training, nor formal education in the area of investigation or other possible C-sec activities beyond basic education and trains them to be officers. You said yourself we can't just keep on picking up ex-military. This is a good way to test the system."

Garrus hides any pride in what he's about to say quite well as he continues on trying to persuade Pallin, "Besides being his 'father' by adoption, I'll be his mentor and trainer and the senior officer who is training him. He'll be learning and training as consistently as we can manage, and it'll put him in a safe, secure environment as he adjusts. Eric's a clean slate, nothing there but what we write on it."

Eric decides to throw in his two credits as well, looking at Pallin. "Garrus seems like a good guy, erm, Turian, Mr. Pallin sir. I'm willing to do whatever it is, and I think I could learn quite a bit from him."

Eric might have been a little shocked, but a lot of good information had come up from the point leaving the clinic and walking to the Executor's office. Besides, it might be a good opportunity to hang out with Eddie some more- the human C-sec officer seemed rather nice and Eric was hoping he could make a friend out of him.

Pallin looks at the two of them, his mandibles twitching in thought as he swivels from one to the other before sighing. "Alright, I can see I'm out maneuvered here." Pallin says, holding up his hands. "Come on then, we'd better go talk to the Human Ambassador... that meeting should be over by now."

Pallin matches out of his office a bit stiffly, in Eric's opinion, but he looks at Garrus who gives him a shrug and what could pass for a smile, so Eric just nods and follows the two Turians, fascinated by the byplay and a little surprised on the course of action that the alien he had just met and possibly the officer who had covered his case had decided on.

The walk to the human embassy was thankfully short, though it involved three more flights of stairs and quite a few more doors which struck Eric as rather pointless. Pretty, sure, but pointless.

Pallin raised one clawed hand and rapped at the door to the office, which slid open to accept them. "Come in." A rather droll, weathered voice that sounded like it was going to bore Eric to death, along with anyone else in the general vicinity, rolled past Eric's ears as Pallin and Garrus stepped inside, followed by Eric.

A single human, lightly balding and dressed in rather immaculate white-ish clothing looks up from a holographic screen and keyboard, looking rather annoyed at the distraction from the message he was sending. Eric also noted another one of the Turians, who was wearing this neat looking Red and Black armor, and another human who was dressed in a blue and gold trimmed uniform. They were talking about something under their breath, and from a glance, the human in the uniform looked like a military man, very straight upper back and muscled under the uniform from the way it rested on solid shoulders.

Eric's attention was dragged away from the Turian and the military human to Pallin as he starts speaking. "Ambassador Udina. C-Sec is caught in an interesting situation and I figured you might want to know what is going on." Pallin's voice is a little cold, and Eric guesses that Pallin doesn't like this Udina fellow very much.

"Executor Pallin," Udina begins, and Eric's eyes slightly narrow. _"Oh yes, I don't like him… dunno -why- I don't like him, but I'm sure I'm about to find out." _Eric thinks as he listens to Udina talk. "I am sure whatever information you have is important, but you're coming at a crucial point for an important project. You've picked a horrible time to-"

"Garrus Vakarian, one of our senior officers, would like to formally adopt this orphaned human boy." Pallin says, cutting Udina's rant off short.

That got him to shut up _real_ fast, and made the political man's jaw drop several inches beyond how low it probably would usually drop.

"Pardon me, but did you say that a Turian wants to adopt a human boy?" Udina says, looking a little scandalized at the idea.

"I did." Pallin says, looking rather annoyed at having to repeat himself. Eric grinned. _'Glad he's on my side.' _He thinks to himself as the Executor continues to speak. "Recently, a new idea was brought up amongst the officers around the office... an idea for something similar to your human police academies, but more in-depth and specialized, offering formal schooling and training with the idea of graduating into the C-sec ranks immediately after finishing their cadet training with a higher rank then an entry level officer."

"… Executor, do you know the meaning of the term 'Political Shit Storm?'" Udina asks, wide-eyed as he stands up from his seat. "The boy is sixteen! He isn't even of age for Military service in the Alliance, he—"

"I am quite aware of what he is, who he is, and how old he is Ambassador. That's why he would be adopted by a Turian. Turian law is different, and as C-Sec counts as quasi-military, then he would be following our law to the letter by joining the program. The boy has volunteered for it himself." The Executor says with a grunt of annoyance, partially because he didn't like Udina's additude, and partially because was using 'Political Shit Storm' wrong. "And it's a -training- program. The boy won't be an officer till he graduates, how soon that is dependent on him."

It's at this point that Eric speaks up again, looking at Udina. "Sir, respectfully, I know jack-shit about anything around here. I'll get the education I obviously need, and if you think about it, this could look really good for you, wouldn't it? A human boy training and growing up in C-Sec and coming out of it a well-trained, well fed and intelligent officer and adult, ready to face the real world?"

Udina rests his chin on his fist and his elbow on his other arm, thinking about it as Garrus speaks up. "He's got a point, and I'm fully willing to take responsibility for him Ambassador Udina. Plus, think of how good this would look- A Turian and a human, adopted father and son, training and living together and acting as a family. That doesn't just look good, that looks great for Human/Turian relationships."

At this point, the military man and the other Turian are standing by Udina. "I like the idea Udina. You know C-Sec has been pushing for this program for a while now. Perhaps we should give it a shot." The military man says his voice warm and welcoming, and very strong. A commanding voice, like that of an officer or high-ranking official, Eric realizes, a small smile coming onto his face. He liked this man. He had a very calming presence about him.

The other Turian doesn't say anything, just looking over Eric with a complacent look of reserved curiosity. Eric had to physically restrain himself from fidgeting under the watchful eyes that seemed to take in his every movement.

Finally, Udina sighs and shakes his head. "You're not putting me in a very easy position, Executor, but I suppose we can try that out. It'll look good alongside the initiative we are working right now anyway."

Udina turns, looking to the military man. "Anderson, I'll need you to finish my message the Alliance brass. They'll need to know and with this development I have a lot to do in a short amount of time. I'll deal with getting the boy's identity set up."

Eric looks to Anderson, curious as he assumes he was correct about the man being military as Udina gestures to Pallin to lead the way, the two of them leaving the room as Udina brings out another one of those glowing arm-sleeves and starts tapping away on it.

Garrus lets out a long breath, and Eric lets out one he didn't realize he had been holding as Anderson and the other Turian settle down into two chairs, Anderson typing away as Eric looks for a chair to sit in.

"Well now, I'm sure you're finally ready for things to calm down a little." Anderson says to Eric, smiling at him as Eric looks back.

"Yes sir." Eric says with a nod. "It's… been an interesting day, or possibly couple of days if I've heard right. Between getting shot and losing my memory, I'd say that I'm ready for things to settle… if only so I can get used to it all."

Anderson nods with understanding. "Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Captain David Anderson." Anderson says, smiling and sitting up a bit straighter.

Eric grins. "So you are military!"

Anderson nods. "I am." He says, smiling. "Glad to have remembered something?"

Eric nods. "Yes sir. Oh, and if you didn't hear, my name is Eric."

Garrus nods. "Captain Anderson, a pleasure to get to speak with you again."

Anderson smiles at Garrus. "Ah, Garrus. Good to see you again. So you're going to be training Eric and adopting him, so to speak?"

Garrus nods. "Yes, I've decided to take up the duty… Dr. Michel is very persuasive when she tries." Garrus says, shaking his head some in amusement.

Anderson chuckles. "She's a smart girl, good head on her shoulders. Nihlus and I were actually discussing going to see her about a crick I've had in the small of my back while we discussed a project I'm working on."

Garrus blinks at the name and looks to Nihlus. "The Specter, Nihlus?" Garrus asks, a little bemused. The other Turian, the aforementioned Nihlus, nods. "The one and only."

Garrus looks surprised, but Eric is just confused. "Uh… forgive me, still no memories… what's a Specter? Isn't it some kind of ghost?"

Nihlus chuckles. "Of a sort, I suppose. No, I'm a member of the Special Tactics and Reconnaissance branch of the Citadel."

Eric tilts his head. "And what's that?"

Nihlus considers Eric's question as Anderson continues to type away at the holographic keyboard, looking intent on finishing whatever Udina was working on quickly.

"A Specter is sort of a free-range police officer, I suppose you could say. A good way to think of it is that a Specter is a special ops agent with no boundaries and no restrictions, and the ability to do and act as they see fit to secure the Citadel from any threat."

Eric nods at Nihlus's explanation. "Cool." He says.

Garrus blinks. "I'm surprised to see you at the human embassy Nihlus, what are you doing here?"

"Not much. Working on a joint project with the humans, a hush-hush deal involving a prototype frigate." Nihlus says, nodding again.

Eric blinks, looking a little confused. Garrus nods and then looks to Eric. "I'll explain later."

Eric seems to accept that, and looks around the room, trying to get a feel for the place.

The room is pretty big, and almost immaculately kept, everything smooth and clean. The whole area is a bit too bright for his liking, but it gives it a cheery, relaxed feeling. Perfect for a political office, he muses.

The group falls into silence, Garrus looking out over the lake of the Presidium, Nihlus looking at whatever Captain Anderson is writing, and that leaves Eric to take a seat and wait for the Executor and the Ambassador to return.

He wasn't quite sure what to think of the situation, as he settles into the chair he found earlier, pondering the strange things that were happening to him. He was being adopted. By an ALIEN. To be trained as a very-high tech equivalent to a Police Officer back on Earth. In space.

He considered cracking a joke about boldly going where no man has gone before and banging green-skinned space babes along the way, but when he tried to, he found he just couldn't break the silence, and kept his mouth shut.

Without much else to do, his thoughts turned to his talk with the Goddess Nayru, and the 'birthmark' on his hand, which he looked at for a while as he thought. _"Well, so far so good. I've listened to what she told me, accepted the goodwill as it has come, and played the amnesia act well. It seems much easier than I thought it would be, that's for sure."_

He leans back in the chair, his thinking continuing onwards._ "From what Garrus told me, there's a lot more races out there, all of them sentient, and many of them dangerous. Heck, I'm guessing that humans still like to fight humans, so that should be interesting to see at least…"_

Eric looks over at Garrus. _"It's weird and kinda subtle, but I think that he's starting to grow on me. He seems… human. Heck, they all do, even if they are kinda alien. I'm definitely going to keep on my toes, but I don't think I'm going to have to worry too much."_

With that thought, Eric is about to settle in when Udina and Pallin return, Pallin and Udina both looking rather smug and pleased with themselves as Udina speaks up, handing Eric a 'birth certificate'.

"Congratulations. You're now Eric Vakarian, adopted son of Garrus Vakarian."

/C/O/M/B/O/E/N/D/

AN: Ha-ha I'm such an asshole. Cutting you right off right that right there. Ha-ha-ha! Sorry.

Chugging along, trying to extend the chapters as much as I can. This one is over 6k for words, so whoo!  
>Anyway, hope to see more reviews. Also, I want to put a special thank you in here to one Mr. <em><strong><span>archerstar <span>**_and one Mr. _**TZDOOM83**_ who has given me my first Favorites (ever!) on . Hope you're all enjoying the story. As usual, you like it, leave a review. Don't like it, leave a review. Happy reading!


	4. Chapter the third

Mass Defect  
>An Mass Effect FanFic by SILVER THE SWORD MASTER<br>C-C-COPYRIGHT W-W-W-WARNING: Mass Effect and all it entails are **COPYRIGHT** Bioware and EA Games. Any other characters from series that may or may not be used are **COPYRIGHT** their creators. A hint: YOU SHOULD KNOW THIS ALREADY.  
>RATING WARNING! (X2 COMBO!): This Fan Fiction is rated M FOR MATURE. It'll deal with graphic violence, high drama, coarse language, sexual themes, drugs and alcohol, and other such things that are not meant for kids!<br>F-F-FINAL WARNING! (X3 COMBO!): READ THE PROLOGUE FIRST. Seriously, YOU SHOULD KNOW THIS ALREADY.  
>E-E-EDIT NOTE! (X4 COMBO!): This is where the re-writing truly begins. I really like the first chapters and they needed some upgrading, tweaking, and a bit of rewriting, but now that that's been handled, I think the story can pick up.<p>

C-C-COMBO BREAKING AUTHOR NOTES: Haha! Changed it on you I did I did!

/C/O/M/B/O/S/Y/S/T/E/M/E/N/G/A/G/E/D/

\\CHAPTER 3: How to be Turian: A Human's Guidebook.

"It's not much, but... hey, it's home." Garrus chuckles lightly, grinning a bit as Eric looks around in light awe of his surroundings.

The small apartment of the Turian officer was, as seemed to be the standard around here, almost immaculately clean. They had walked over to the apartment, which was in a corner of the Zakera Ward, after grabbing a taxi on the free 'Fast Travel' system, which Eric learned was paid for by taxes. He shook his head in bemusement. Self-guiding flying cars? The future was awesome!

The human boy grins as he walks into the apartment. "It's plenty awesome Garrus! Look at that view!" He says, walking up the window of the apartment and looking out into the sprawl that was the wards. It really was a rather impressive view.

Garrus shakes his head as he nabs a large backpack and his extra cred-sticks. As excited as the young man was to just be looking out the window, his new ward had quite a bit to learn before his classes started at C-sec. "You'll have plenty of time to look at it later. At the moment, we have a few more pressing concerns to deal with, not limited to but including clothing, diet, and a bed."

Eric blinks and looks at Garrus, a little confused. "I can understand the clothing and bed, but what's the big deal on diet?" He asks, tilting his head, making Garrus laugh a bit.

"Right, forgot I haven't explained that yet." Garrus chuckles as he shakes his head. "It has to do with the chemicals in the food. Turians are dextro-amino acid based on our evolution and our diet reflects that. Humans evolved in a levo-amino acid-based environment and as such, our diets are incompatible. It could cause a serious allergic reaction, amongst other problems, so it might be best to make sure our diets are separated." Garrus explains before humming to himself. "While I'm thinking of it, it might be a good idea to get you a separate fridge as well. No need to leave an opportunity for our food to be cross-contaminated."

Eric blinks, not quite getting it, but nods. "Alright, sounds good." He says, stretching as he walks back towards the door. "Getting some actual shoes might be good too. Walking around in socks probably isn't the best idea ever." The human teen says with a grin at Garrus, who chuckles in reply as they make their way out of the apartment complex and into the ward proper, heading for the shopping district.

Garrus quietly observed Eric as the teen walked, moving head of his Turian 'father' with a light hum as he goes. His mandibles flutter lightly as he considers the human before him. _'He really is a true blank-slate.' _Garrus thinks as Eric steps closer to one of the displays, only for it to pop up and speak to him directly, making the young man gawk in awe as the add speaks to him, saying his name.

_'The potential he has is almost limitless in the sense of what he can be taught. Almost like a good block of Omni-Gel. Unlimited in potential till it's been solidified and used... mailable only as far as the creativity of the user... yes, this was a good idea.' _The Turian quietly convinces himself as Eric slides across the deck a little as his socks loose traction, making Garrus chuckle. _'I'm not so sure about raising him, but he can be taught, and he seems eager enough to learn. I'll just have to take it a step at a time.'_

Garrus lets out a light cough to grab Eric's attention away from another add, making Eric turn and look at the Turian. "Lets not forget why we're here." Garrus says sternly, deciding that discipline would be the first thing to teach the young human. Eric looks a little put out, but nods in agreement as Garrus guides him away from the display's and leads him over to a nearby clothing store.

"Welcome to 'High Topic' clothing emporium!" A voice says smoothly as Garrus and Eric step into the clothing shop. "Please feel free to browse."

Eric blinks and looks at Garrus questioningly, receiving a smirk in response. "Automatic everything, even greetings. You'll get used to it." Garrus chuckles, the young human nodding slightly as he starts to browse around the clothing.

Eric felt a little overwhelmed honestly, his head spinning a bit as he looked at all the futuristic clothing. Synthetic cloths seemed to have completely replaced any of materials that he actually knew about, which beyond cotton and hemp, were none at all, and the names threw him off a little.

Garrus coughed lightly as he observed the confusion on his ward's face, unable to help him. His uniform and clothing were mostly issue, though he did have some fancier clothing and civilian clothing, he normally stuck to wearing his uniform, and he had only specific options for shirts and clothing to wear with the armor.

Thankfully, the Asari behind the counter noticed and quickly made her way over to them with a smile. "Finding everything you're looking for?" She asks with a smile, looking a little surprised as Eric jolts in shock at the form of the alien lady.

"Um... no, not really..." Eric says, looking a little embarrassed about the fact as Garrus steps up to help, glad that the Asari that was working seemed to be a little more open into assisting her customers instead of letting the automated system do the work.

"We aren't, mostly because he hasn't had to buy clothing off Earth for a while." Garrus explains. "He's probably a little overwhelmed by the options."

The Asari nods, Eric still looking at her in a little awe and a little shock as she gives him a quick glance up down, tilting her head at his clothing options. "Well, what are you looking for in particular? I can help pick out some clothing if you need me too."

Eric shakes his head a little before looking to Garrus, raising an eyebrow as if to ask, 'what -do- I need?', making the Turian chuckle. "Two pairs of shoes, ten pairs of socks, ten shirts, four pairs of cargo pants, higher quality synthetic martial, good for working in, and three or four pairs of shorts." Garrus says, Eric relaxing a bit at that, glad that his adopted Father seemed to have a good grasp on things.

The Asari nods. "Hmmm. Alright, anything else?" She says, which leads to Eric finally chiming in, "Umm, yeah, do you have any boxers, or boxer-briefs?" He says, looking a little embarrassed for asking about it, making the Asari giggle girlishly. "Sure thing. They're over there." She says, pointing out a corner of the store. "I'll get the rest of your clothing together."

As the Asari walks away, Eric looks to Garrus questioningly, making the Turian smirk. "She's an Asari, I mentioned them before, remember?" Garrus says as he lightly puts a hand on Eric's shoulder, guiding him over to the underwear. "They're one of the primary council races. The primary council race in a way. They discovered the Citadel. I'll tell you more about them later, but I warn you that you're most likely going to be surprised."

Eric nods, the questions he had been planning on asking dying on his lips before he looks back to the clothing, going around and picking out underwear from the selection the store had. Comfortable boxer-briefs thankfully, though he was a little disappointed they didn't have any boxers.

After paying the Asari for Eric's new clothing, a new pair of shoes on Eric's feet, which he marveled at for being as light as air, comfortable as walking on a cloud, and a dark, coal-black color, they started to make their way around the ward.

Eric was grinning, almost besides himself in excitement. He had a father! Someone who was actually going to take the time to teach him what he needed to know, show him things about the universe he found himself in and generally treat him like he was wanted, like he belonged. Things could only get better if he had a space-babe fall into him and ask for him to help her so he could live out the Trekkie dream.

These thoughts continued as Eric and Garrus wandered about the ward, getting what they could carry and putting it in Garrus's pack or being carried in bags by Eric, the larger, heavier things being sent directly to Garrus's apartment. The two were trading jokes back and forth, punctuated by questions from Eric and thoughtfully explained answers by Garrus.

"Hey Garrus, what's that jellyfish looking thing?"

"It's called a Hanar, and I recommend not calling it a 'jellyfish looking thing.'"

"Woah, those are big eyes."

"Salarian's tend to have those, yes. They're the other council race, besides the Asari and Turians, and tend to talk -forever- if you let them."

"Wow, so that's the nebula?"

"The Citadel actually rests in the nebula. Pretty impressive if you ask me, makes me wonder how the Prothians made it."

"Prothians?"

"They were the civilization before ours that lead to the discovery of Mass Effect technology. You'll get a more in-depth explanation of it in class."

The Turian and his ward slumped into two chairs, settling Eric's bags down as they watched the humans and aliens walking by in the crowds. "Wow, is it always so busy?" Eric asks, looking to his adopted father, who nods in response.

"The Citadel never really sleeps. Artificial lighting and good shutters helps simulate a day-night cycle, but it seems like it's always in the twilight hours, not quite dark enough to be night, but not bright enough to be day either." Garrus says before smirking, "You are just inquisitive, aren't you?"

Eric shrugs. "I don't know anything Garrus. I mean, if I didn't ask questions, how am I supposed to learn?" The human says, earning a chuckle and a nod from the Turian before they go back to crowd watching in companionable silence, watching an Elcor slowly plod by, it's footsteps heavy on the ground as it goes.

"... Do you really think it was the right idea? Adopting me, I mean." Eric asks, looking at Garrus, not quite sure what to make of his new father. "It seemed... a bit spur of the moment."

Garrus blinks and then looks to Eric, contemplating the human teen's question before letting out a light chuckle. "True. And I suppose it was." He says, making Eric's face fall a little before he continues, "But that doesn't mean that it wasn't thought out. Everything I said before was the truth and more, and honestly, I like you. You've got an attitude about you that speaks of wanting to learn and discover, and I find it interesting and engaging." Garrus says.

Eric nods as he thinks on what Garrus just said before the Turian spoke up again, smirking. "Besides, I don't think you want to end up with another bullet lodged in your gut. This way, I can keep you under careful watch. No sense in getting shot, right?"

This earned a playful punch from the Teenager, Garrus laughing as Eric grins at him, shaking his head. "Yeah, alright. I'll do my best to avoid bullets then." The human says with a sarcastic tint, shaking his head at the slightly-snarky Turian.

Garrus chuckles before standing up, stretching and grabbing the bags. "Alright, lets get back. I'm sure your stuff as arrived at the apartment and we can get you set up for the night and get your things put away. I've got work tomorrow, so you'll be on your own for a little, but your new omni-tool should be able to provide you with some entertainment and I've got some decent books around my place. I'm sure you'll find something to do, and you can wander a bit as long as you stay around the apartments." Garrus says as Eric grabs the rest of the bags and follows.

"Alright, alright, jeez, I follow." Eric says, shaking his head as Garrus reenforces the rules he had put down earlier in their walk. "No straying to far without you till classes start, don't leave the apartment complex without your permission first, no talking to alien girls unless I know what their genetic make up is, I got it."

Garrus blinks at that last part, looking at Eric in curiosity before the human blushes lightly and chuckles. "Sorry, bad joke." Eric says, rubbing the back of his head with a hand, making Garrus chuckle back as they head to the apartment and put down Eric's bags, dragging in the boxes containing some of the other necessitates for the teen as they go.

The duo started putting away Eric's new clothing and setting up his room as quickly as they could. Garrus grins as they finish setting up Eric's bed, the teen taking a big leap and bouncing up and down on it for a moment before springing out with a bright grin. "I couldn't do that with my old bed, that's for sure!" Eric says, practically quivering with excitement and built up energy. Garrus lets out another laugh as he pats the teen on the back and motions for Eric to follow him into the 'living room' area of the small apartment.

The apartment itself, now that Eric got a chance to look around a bit more, was nothing spectacular, but was still pretty decent. It had about four rooms- The kitchen/dining room/living room/entry room, a decent sized bathroom, Garrus's room/armory, and the Guest bedroom... now his room.

There were two couches that looked pretty well worn in the living room part of the main room, surrounding a pretty big holoscreen, a dresser between them with a small lamp, a decent sized table that looked like it could fit four or five, possibly six with a squeeze, and a kitchen with all the fixings, including a decent sized fridge, though now there was a second fridge on the edge of the kitchen area that had been marked 'Eric's Fridge'.

Garrus slumps onto one of the couches, reclining a bit with a hefty breath of air. Who knew that looking after a young human teen could be so much work? At least, in the sense of getting the living quarters set up. He figured teaching and training him wouldn't be too hard, just like teaching a rookie cadet for C-Sec.

Eric settles onto the other couch, stretching out and looking over at Garrus, tilting his head inquisitively. "So, what happens now?" The teen asks with a pretty solid questioning air, as if he wasn't quire sure what else to do with their day.

Garrus pauses at that and taps his chin. "Hmm... well, best for now would be a primer for understanding what it is to be a Turian." Garrus says with a slight incline of his head to Eric, who blinks in confusion.

"What it means to be a Turian? But I'm human." Eric says, giving Garrus a look of exasperation as he gestures to himself and his obviously human form. Garrus chuckles and shakes his head in amusement.

"Obviously human or not, you're my son legally now. You still follow the laws under the System Alliance, but many Turian laws and customs will now most likely be expected of you. An understanding of our warrior culture, understanding of tactics and combat training, the meaning of honor, the understanding of our laws and history... such as the Unification Wars." Garrus says.

Eric grins. "I'm guessing there is a story there." He says idly as he reclines in his chair again, making Garrus chuckle yet again.

"There is. A pretty involved story at that." Garrus says with a nod.

The young human drums his fingers against his leg. "Care to give me the cliff notes version?"

"Sure. The 'cliff notes' version is that as the Turian's colonized other worlds, our central government's hold on the worlds grew weaker as the warlords who were set up on the worlds to guide the military factions there grew more bold and independent. It lead to a lot of tension and lead to Turians panting their faces with the colors and symbols of their home colony." Garrus explains, Eric leaning in as Garrus weaves the story for him. "The war was fought mostly between the colonies, the warlords of each world trying to gain hold of the other colonies. They fought themselves tired, and then the Hierarchy, which is our central government, stepped in and regained control of the colonies."

Garrus grins and he points to his own face paint. "Hence where all of this came from. It's actually more of a custom now then anything else. A important one, due to a... stigma, that remains now from someone who won't paint their face."

Eric blinks. "Why not?" He asks, making Garrus shake his head. "Because it means your 'bare faced', and not willing to show your colors. It means you're likely untruthful and not trustworthy, a danger to everyone around you because no one can tell if you're a liar or telling the truth." Garrus says. "During the Unification war, Turians who didn't paint their faces would step into battle and claim to be on one side, only to attack when least expected to wipe out everyone in their way." Garrus says, lightly shaking his finger. "Never trust a Turian with a bare face unless you know them well. Don't be afraid to interact with them, because they can have very important information, but do be cautious."

Eric ponders that quietly, slowly rubbing his chin as Garrus starts into a lecture on politics and Turian customs with the help of the holomonitor, using his omni tool to pull up visual repersentations for the teen.

"So wait, rank is equal to what kind of civilian I am?" Eric asks, looking confused. Garrus shakes his head. "It's -something- like that. It doesn't really apply to you, due to you being a 'client' race and not a Turian, but you'll fall into the guidelines once you join C-sec, which fulfills the law of civil duty. You'll have to do some sort of civil work, be it military or C-sec, working as a utility man, even a janitor or the like till you turn thirty." Garrus explains.

Eric pauses on that and then nods. "That makes sense I suppose. So why does it work that way?" He asks, looking curious.

Garrus smiles. "Your rank and your citizenship tier shows what kind of person you are and what can be expected to you. The higher your tier, the responsibility you have, not only to your fellow citizens, but to the Hierarchy and the Primarchs." Garrus explains as he shows Eric a slide of explanation, showing a pyramid with titles and images of Turians doing various jobs and what Tier they fall into.

Eric nods. "So if something happens, in such a militarized government where everyone has served in the military..."

"In the event of an emergency, everyone knows what they need to do and who they need to turn to." Garrus finishes, looking pleased that Eric figured it out so quickly. The boy was quick on his toes, that was for sure, and was picking up the information swiftly.

Eric lets out a breath and rubs his forehead before he and Garrus slide into the next topic, covering everything from culture to history, including the events of the First Contact war, or the Relay 314 incident, as the Turian's called it. Eric wasn't particularly pleased with that turn of events, but was placated with Garrus's explanations of what each side did wrong.

They talked into the night and soon Eric found himself settled into his room and in bed, excited for the morning to come as he looked up at the ceiling, pondering what he seemed to have gotten himself into and everything that he had just learned, what applied to him and what didn't, and wondering how much more he was going to have to learn when he finally would get into the program the Executor was setting up.

The morning almost came too quickly for Eric. He groaned quietly as he slowly dragged himself from the most comfortable sleep and bed he had ever head, looking around and rubbing his face barely, only to realize that the door to Garrus... his... apartment, was closing. A few moments pass as he tries to register that before hauling himself out of bed and over to the kitchen table, yawning as he wavers a little, sleep trying to keep hold upon his mind and body as he sluggishly slumps into one of the chairs, yawning before realizing that a datapad is sitting on the desk.

He spends a moment staring at it before pulling it over and checking the glowing screen. Reading it over once, then twice to make sure his sleep addled mind wasn't tricking him, he read-

'Eric- Got called in earlier then I thought, sorry I wasn't able to stick around for breakfast. I left two-hundred credits on a cred-stick tucked into your fridge, that's your allowance for the week. I recommend hanging onto it, don't spend too much because that's quite a bit of credits, but don't be afraid to buy something if you want it. I shouldn't be too long out today, and I'll try to be back by 1650. Go out and have fun exploring, but remember what I said yesterday.

-Garrus"

Eric blinked at the message left by his 'father' and hummed quietly before checking his fridge. Indeed, on the inside of the door was a cred-stick. He thought it was odd, but if that's what his father wanted... who was he to judge? He took the cred-stick and grabbed out some bread and peanut butter for breakfast, quickly making a sandwich and eating it, putting the bread and peanut butter away without a second thought as he stretched, yawning again as he ate.

Breakfast was uneventful and he quickly finished, got dressed, and splashed some water on his face, readying himself for the day ahead as he rolled his neck and got ready to step outside and see what entertainment could be found in his apartment complex.


End file.
